Spain - 1st Edition

First stop in Spain - Pamplona!!!!! Yep where the young run with the bulls.

It is quite a mysterious place with soooo much history and amazing architecture in the Old City but firstly we had to get there. Out came our trusty bikes for an 11km jaunt along the river - have to admit getting there was not too bad although not quite as flat as we had been led to believe -and we arrived at about 11am.

Following the route the bulls actually run we wandered around finally arriving at the bull ring just outside the city walls. Deciding we needed some fuel in the form of lunch we opted for a 3 course set lunch with water, wine and bread included for 10.50 euro each. Now, when you cannot speak the language anything goes when trying to figure if you are about to eat something unmentionable and the waiter and I were reduced to making "Old McDonald Farm" noises to distinguish whether the meat was pig (oink oink from me) and (neigh neigh from him) - OMG horse!!!!!!! And the flapping of wings and cock crowing for chicken (him not me). Next was a waving hand motion gliding through the air with a wierd shjutsh, shjutsh sound which we assumed was fish quickly sizzled on either side - Gary ordered this - and low and behold I had ordered - what??? Next came a whole bottle of red wine with an order from the waiter to "drink it down to the bottom" with much hand gesticulation included. All this was done with an absolutely straight face whilst most of the restaurant - us included - were laughing our heads off. The meal and wine were great, although Gary's squid (the fish) was too squidlike for me to even look at, and my chicken was delicious. We have had some wierd meals in Spain but find if we eat healthily at lunchtime we do not need food until breakfast the next morning. Seems better than stuffing yourself late at night and going to bed on a full stomach - cheaper too!!!!!

Finishing our meal we left the restaurant after many handshakes, walked out into the streets of Pamplona and everything had changed. All the shops were closed, the streets were dead - it was a ghost town -it was siesta time and nothing would reopen until 5pm. It was just 1.30pm so we decided to hightail it back to Molly. This time though with a full belly and half a bottle of wine in each of us it really was a mission. Losing our way didn't help either adding at least an extra two kms to the trip!!!!! Arriving back at Molly the heavens opened - home just in time which seems to happen a lot for us.

Our next intended stop was to be Burgos which we had been told was very nice. Travelling through small villages once again - this is such a nice way to see the grass roots of the country - through Arakil, Vitoria, Careterra, Monastario, we came within 3kms of our campsite and the road was closed. Seeing Burgos was just another big city, we were rerouted through it by Kate the GPS, we decided to move on to what was to be our alternate destination in Castrojeriz. What a smart move that was.

We really enjoyed our stay here at Camping Camino de Santiago. The weather was good, the camp was great as were the owners, the village of Castrojeriz so, so unique and pretty and we met some wonderful people from GB there. Papa (the owner) was very knowledgable about local birdlife and had some amazing pics on his amazing camera. We were spellbound for at least two hours just looking at photos. For those of you following us on Facebook this is where we went to the Castillo straight up the side of a mountain, through fir trees and rocky terrain, but it was well worth it. This was built firstly in the 9 century (Roma) and then expanded in the 14th century (Medieval) and there was "no charge" to enter.

Meandering through the village was delightful along the Pilgrim route and amongst this small village's many churches. Old houses built deeply into the hillsides (possibly just plain cave like dwellings originally where families had their animals sleeping inside with them) were being renovated. Windows, doors and electricity were being added and small chimneys stuck out through the top of the hillside which formed the roof. Just little Hobbit houses really. Having lunch at a peaceful Pilgrim cafe where a huge potato omelette costs a mere 2 euro we were suddenly inundated by an Asian tour group, the first we have seen in ages. They were not too bad and the young lady behind the counter coped really well - giving us a high five when it was all over.

Walking home we happened across "The hospital of the Heart" - a private Spanish house opened up to anyone who wishes to enter, food and drinks for Pilgrims laid out in the kitchen, books to read, art to ruminate over, poignant messages of hope and love attached to the most wonderful, natural photographs. A tranquil garden to sit in out of the sun and just muse. The owners were not there, they were in the village, such is their generosity and trust to and for their fellow man. We loved it - so simple - but this is exactly what our journey is about and we will always hold happy memories for Castrojeriz, a dilapidated village in the middle of nowhere with such a big heart and so much to give.

Here we spent a lovely evening with Lucy and Mal and Dave and Helen having dinner together and being spoiled by Papa with Grappa?? Well Gary was - I hate the stuff!!!!

Waving goodbye to lovely Lucy and Mal, the next morning we headed for Santillana del Mar heading over the mountains ranges (Europa Mataporquera), through lots of little picturesque villages, over rolling barren hills and into Cantabria Province. The scenery through Cantabria is breathtaking - mountains, viaducts and tunnels abound - and we rumble on through, or past, Polencia, Rio Izarilla, Santa Cruz, Barros, Tannos to our campsite in Santilla del Mar which is awful - there isn't a flat site in sight and when we do find a flatish area it is like the OK Coral. We eat dinner in the restaurant, multi course, and are presented with chicken swimming in a greasy gravy and an iceblock for desert!!!! Only in Spain!!!! Next morning we are woken to the sound of gunfire - a cannon salute or something? - which sets all the dogs in the immediate vicinity barking. This seems to go on forever and we later find out "it is only a bird scarer"!! The village of Santillana made up for it though as it is rather quaint. Many original buildings still stand and are in excellent condition or have been renovated and, of course, the architecture and history is something that we, in NZ, do not have.

We leave early, obviously, from the campsite. We have a long journey today to A Agolada, it is raining and we know we have to tackle the road through the Pico's d'Europa (the Peaks of Europe) a forboding trip for our Molly. The road becomes coastal at Vidlago and then mountainous at Hontaria and then we are on this brand new road whizzing along through the Peaks of Europe, over sky high viaducts (slight exaggeration here but felt and looked like it), through tunnel after tunnel (have I mentioned befor I have a tunnel phobia?) through Bones, Venta, Villvaciosa, San Miguel, Gijeon (large town), Aviles (huge town), on through farming communities divided by the viaducts, past Cortina and La Caridad to our second most wonderful campsite on the Spanish northern, rocky, rugged coast - Camping Gaivota - near Barreiros.

We are happy again.